St. Nicholas Avenue is a major street that runs north-south between 193rd Street and 111th Streets in the New York Cityborough of Manhattan. It goes through the neighborhoods of Harlem, Hamilton Heights, and Washington Heights. St. Nicholas Avenue serves as a border between the West Side of Harlem and Central Harlem. Although Harlem in a broad sense spans from the East River to the Hudson River, the area west of St. Nicholas Avenue is not always counted as part of Harlem proper.

The IND Eighth Avenue Line (ABCD trains) runs under St. Nicholas Avenue north of 121st Street as far as 168th Street, and is sometimes referred to as the St. Nicholas Avenue Line.

From early colonial days through the 19th century the road was known as Harlem Lane.[1] It is claimed to have followed an old Indian path called Weekquaeskeek. The road accommodated travelers going toward Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, and points north.[2] Harlem Lane was sometimes referred to as the Kingsbridge Road, and it constituted a portion of the old Post Road that led from lower Manhattan to New England.[3]